Ohio State
17-13,9-10Big Ten
Nebraska
17-13,7-12Big Ten
Buckeyes Win Double OT Thriller 116-114 over Nebraska
3/5/2025 1:49:00 AM | Men's Basketball
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Tuesday night, and into Wednesday morning, saw two teams battling to keep their seasons going. Ohio State was able to make the final push to pull out a 116-114 double overtime victory over Nebraska on Senior Night at Value City Arena.
The win lifts the Buckeyes to 17-13 on the season and 9-10 in Big Ten play heading into the regular season finale on Saturday.
All five Buckeye starters scored in double figures with four of them scoring 20 or more. Junior guard Bruce Thornton led the way with 29 points and nine assists.
Devin Royal had 22 points on 6-of-9 from the floor and 10-of-14 from the free throw line. Micah Parrish also finished with 22 points as he made five three-pointers and grabbed six rebounds. John Mobley Jr. had 20 points with three three-pointers as well as three assists.
Sean Stewart was the fifth starter in double figures as he made all five of his shots and finished with 13 points and seven rebounds. Aaron Bradshaw provided solid minutes off the bench, recording eight points.
Nebraska’s Brice Williams showed why he is one of the best scorers in the league as he had a career-high 43 points, the fourth-most by any Buckeye opponent and the most since 2012.
The 116 points were also tied for the second-most Ohio State has ever scored in a game and marks the most points scored inside Value City Arena. The Buckeyes have now also won five consecutive double-overtime games, and that includes a double OT win earlier this season at Minnesota.
As is the case with most games, especially close ones, both teams used multiple runs and made multiple big time plays. The Buckeyes raced out to an early 11-point lead, but Nebraska cut the lead to just three near the end of the first half.
The Buckeye lead again grew to 11 in the second half thanks to a 15-4 run. But Nebraska again battled back and eventually pulled even on an Andrew Morgan three-point play with 42 seconds remaining. Mobley Jr. was then fouled and made 1-of-2 free throws. On Nebraska’s end, Williams was fouled and he too made just 1-of-2 from the line. The Buckeyes weren’t able to get a good look at the end of regulation and the game headed to overtime.
Williams scored the first five points of the first overtime and Nebraska seemed to have all of them momentum. He would score nine of the Huskers’ 10 points in the overtime session. Thornton connected on a three-pointer to pull the Buckeyes within two with 1:36 to play. After a Williams jumper, Parrish hit a clutch three-pointer from the corner to cut the lead to one. After a Nebraska miss, Royal split a pair from the line to tie the game at 99-99 and Williams’ game-winning attempt on the other end fell short.
Williams again opened the second overtime with a three-pointer but this time, the Buckeyes responded with a 7-0 run, capped by a Thornton three-pointer, and they wouldn’t give up the lead the rest of the way. Parrish made a cold-blooded three-pointer from the wing to push the lead back out to 110-106 with 43 seconds to play and then the Buckeyes would make 6-of-8 free throws down the stretch. Williams ended his career night with a three-pointer at the buzzer, but it was merely for show.
Up Next
The Buckeyes will close the regular season on the road this Saturday at Indiana. Tip-off is set for 3:45 p.m. and the game will be televised on CBS.
